Composing Rhythm

Intuitive: inspiration/imag ination

Ref lective of memory: concatenation, reinterpretation

Functional: dictated by demands of particular music

Ref lecting physical movement: dance suite, march, etc.

Constructed: custom built by desig n

Mapped to parameters:
Meter
Individual note durations
Number of pulses in a section
Leng th in seconds of phrase, etc.

Composing Rhythm
Constructed, cont.
Fibonacci series
Prog resses by adding previous two numbers together

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8,
13, 21, 36...

Composing Rhythm
Bla Bartk (1881-1945)
Music for Strings, Percussion,
and Celesta (1936), Movt. III
Fibonacci series (palindromic) for
rhythm of xylophone in opening:

1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 5, 3, 2, 1

Composing Rhythm

Composing Rhythm
Sof ia Gubaidulina (1931-),
Seven Words, Movt. I
(1982)
Phrase leng th (including
silences) durations ref lect
Fibonacci series, marked in
seconds on score*:

3, 5, 8, 13

*See Wilkins, p.47

Composing Rhythm
Constructed, cont.
Additive: addition of smaller duration units to create
rhythmic patterns
Used in non-western music, especially Indian and African music

2+3+2+5+3+2+1+3

Composing Rhythm
Olivier Messaien (1908-1992),
Quartet for End of
Time (1940-41)
Written during imprisonment in
Nazi POW camp
Performed by available
musicians: violin, cello, clarinet,
piano
Movt. VI; Section F
Additive rhythms based on
16th note duration

Composing Rhythm
The tyranny of bar lines/meter
Rhythm Meter
Positive:
Created to coordinate larger ensembles, make more complex
rhythmic ideas easier to read

Negative:
Phrases tend to start and stop according to the bar line, and not
to the gesture
Boxes music in: promotes certain beat patterns

Music need not rely on beats or restricted to measures!

Composing Rhythm
What can you do to overcome this?
Eliminate bar lines
Meter changes/composite meters
Temporary devices:
Syncopation
Hemiola: creating composite patterns of duple in a triple meter
by overlapping bar line

Proportional/timeline notation

Composing Rhythm
Minimalism (Process Music)
Music that centers around an audible process that
unfolds over time
Inf luenced by rhythmic principles of non-western music
Tala or Taal: clap in Sanskrit (Additive)

Repetition used as a device to illuminate process

(usually over long period of time)
Exploration of phase and pattern
2 or more repeating patterns are set in motion with slightly
different rates

Composing Rhythm
Steve Reich (1932-), Clapping
Music (1972)
Wanted to "create a piece of
music that needed no
instruments beyond the
human body"
Variation of African bell
pattern
Two (or more) performers
start synchronized, after 8 or
12 bars, second performer
shifts by 1/8 note to the left
(ahead); synchronizes again
144 bars later

Composing Rhythm
Steve Reich, Clapping Music (1972)

Composing Rhythm
Steve Reich, cont.
Created tape loop pieces that focused on the time
relationship between two or more identical loops
Two tape decks playing identical loops, one slightly faster than
another so they eventually came out of sync and passed out of
phase

Composing Rhythm
Steve Reich Its Gonna Rain (1965)

Composing Rhythm
Listening: Steve Reich, Piano Phase (see analysis in
book w/score)

Composing Rhythm
David Lang (1957-), So Called
Laws of Nature (2002)
4 percussionists arranged so
you can see the synchronicity
between the movements and
sound
Instrumentation (each):
3 teacups
2 tuned f lowerpots
3 tuned bells
1 small guiro
1 tiny woodblock

Composing Rhythm
David Lang, So Called
Laws of Nature, Movt.
III

Composing Rhythm
David Lang, So Called Laws of Nature, Movt. III